Are Online Term Insurance Plans Inexpensive?

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Written by PolicyBazaar

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Published : 09 June 2016

India is witnessing proliferating internet usageand people are getting increasingly comfortable with transacting ‘virtually’. This, coupled with technological progressions, has made online purchase of services such as insurance quicker, simpler, and immensely popular, compared to the offline mode of insurance purchase.

Most insurance companies have begun offering insurance products on their websites.Online has become a one-stop destinationto shop for different insurance products at different prices,giving people a better opportunity to scrutinise, compare and thereby make better purchase decisions.

It is seen that people are particularly inclined to buying term plans online, because term plans specificallyturn out to becheaper than their offline equivalents.

But what makes an online term insurance plan more economical compared to its offline counterpart? Is there a hidden catch? Let’s find out.

Simplicity

Contributing to lower costs of online term insurance plans is the fact that these plans are fundamentally simple, offering just death benefits.Therefore, term insurance plans are easy even for a layperson to understand and he/she can easily buy it online without confusion.

No Administration Expenses

Selling insurance offline is expensive. Apart from numerous administrative expenses, itinvolves plenty of paperwork, marketing and selling costs – all of which constitute a part of the final policy cost. These expenses also spill over to the premiums that customers have to pay.

Contrarily, selling term insurance online does not involve these outlays. Customers just need to go online, choose a plan in tune with their specific needs and conduct all associated transactions on the web. Since a major part of the transaction is online and paperless, the policy processing cost saving ispassedon to customers. Website creation is a one-time expense, andwebsite maintenance and updatesinvolve minimal spending.

In a nutshell, online insurance dealings translate to a high-return low-expense channel for insurers and offer hassle-free transacting for customers.

The commissions insurance companies pay to brokers or agents hired to market their insurance products form a sizable chunk of the premium charged to customers. This is a key reason why offline term insurance plans cost more, involving higher premiums.

However, no commissions are involved in online term insurance sales - this lowers distribution costs, premiums, and overall pricing. The resultant cost reduction worksto the customers’ advantage, since insurers pass on the economic benefitsto them, making ‘lower pricing’ the USP of the term plan sold online.

Better Customers, Lower Risk

Transacting online for insurance means profiling potential customers based on their comfort level and frequency of internet use. Insurance companies assume that customers purchasing insurance online are usuallybetter educated and informed, more careful about their health, and have access to better health-care amenities,compared to people who are not big on internet use. Online customers therefore pose a lower risk for insurance providers.

Insurers are also able to get more detailed customer information through the online sales mode. Too much information about customers is not available to insurers when selling insurance offline, as they have to battle time constraints, deal with agents/brokers, and manage things like incomplete forms (due to agent-buyer trust).

Perception About Online Insurance Buyers

As mentioned above, insurance companies have a better overall perception about online customers. This positive perception translates to better morbidity and mortality assumptions, leading to further price reductions.

The claims Repudiation Myth

It is often assumed that the lower cost of an online term insurance plan is because of claim repudiation by the concerned insurance company. This is a myth. The truth is that disclosure levels on online proposal forms are very high, making allthe information complete and transparent, leaving no room for claim repudiation.

Note: Every company has its own underwriting rules and claim records. This, along with how aggressive the insurers’ marketing strategies are, lead to varying online term plan premiums offered by different insurers.

An increasing number of people are opting for online term insurance policies since they are less expensive, while fulfilling the core objectiveof providing adequate life cover at affordable prices. Online term insurance plansnow constitute a major part of the insurance market - they are truly the future of insurance.

Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation.Visitors are hereby informed that their information submitted on the website may be shared with insurers.

*The information provided on this website/page is only for information sake. Policybazaar does not in any form or manner endorse the information so provided on the website and strives to provide factual and unbiased information to customers to assist in making informed insurance choices.

The product information for comparison displayed on this website is of the insurers with whom our company has an agreement.